Your friendly Austin Music Minute maven was elated to finally get a copy of The Carrots‘ New Romance in my grubby paws. Like many of their fans, I was left wondering whether there would be more music to come…
The Carrots originally formed in the summer of 2005, when vocalist Veronica Ortuño put a request out on MySpace. She was on the search for like-minded musicians to form a band with a ‘60s girl-band sound. They kept it clean and simple, just straight-up melodic pop following that classic rock ‘n’ roll style – with a wicked sense of humor. Even better.
At first, this old-school business struck people as out of the ordinary because they didn’t exactly know what to make of it, but that didn’t keep The Carrots’ popularity from growing. After receiving national media attention, especially during SXSW, they were signed to the pop-centric label Elefant Records in 2006. That was followed by a whirlwind of recording and opening for major acts.
Then, it was time for a break in 2008. The band members had other projects going on (Ortuño was performing with Finally Punk, another great local band getting attention outside of Austin), so the break went on longer. Fans were hoping to hear more, even though it didn’t seem like that was happening.
Fortunately, the band never really went away, and now we have the effervescent, ever-poppy New Romance. The Carrots are celebrating its release with a show tonight at Red 7, 611 E. 7th St. It’s an all-around badass night with Gal Pals and Hidden Ritual on the bill. Doors open at 9 p.m. Recommended.
